Why are advertisers still so reluctant to pursue branding opportunities within video games? The biggest reason: There's still no third-party measurement and ratings support for this $10 billion industry.

Nielsen Interactive Entertainment promised a universal games ratings system by mid-2005, but Nielsen now says the system may not be ready until mid-2007. NIE senior vice president Michael Dowling admits the delay may keep some advertisers away from video games, but he insists there's a bright future for dynamic, in-game advertising in the next generation of game consoles.